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Impellitteri's first music release was a black EP titled Impellitteri. The Black Ep was the 1st metal record to combine fast tempos,addictive riffs, shredding guitar solos, and screaming vocals that rivaled the likes of legendary bands Iron Maiden and Judas Preist. Impellitter's fiery guitar solos caught the ear of many major press and media outlets who began to label Impellitteri as the "Fastest Guitarist in the World". The Impellitteri Black EP also established the bands sound in the heavy metal community,and created legions of fans throughout the world. To date IMPELLITTERI has sold in excess of 1 million records worldwide and performed in front of millions of fans.
50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time
50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time
JAZZ
Allan Holdsworth
SIGNATURE SONG: “Fred”
Believe It (TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME)
SIGNATURE SONG: “Fred”
Believe It (TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME)
Allan Holdsworth developed a cult following of jazz fusion and progressive rock fans for his work with Tony Williams Lifetime and Bill Bruford’s side project U.K., but his name became a household word in the guitar community in the early Eighties when Eddie Van Halen cited him as one of his main influences. Holdsworth’s flowing legato lines are inspired by the sound of the saxophone and violin, and in his quest for the perfect tone he’s experimented frequently with guitar synthesis systems like the SynthAxe. The blinding speed of Holdsworth’s left hand is truly mind boggling, but even more impressive is his ability to perfectly improvise over incredibly complex and unorthodox chord changes.
Al Di Meola
SIGNATURE SONG “Race with the Devil on Spanish Highway”
Elegant Gypsy
SIGNATURE SONG “Race with the Devil on Spanish Highway”
Elegant Gypsy
A blizzard of dotted 32nd notes in the shape of an Italian-American guy from New Jersey, Al Di Meola was one of the premier guitar architects of the jazz rock fusion genre that started in the Seventies. He’s responsible for bringing the rich guitar heritage of Spain and Latin America into the fusion arena. His lightning-fast left hand is complemented by distinctive right-hand palmmuting techniques that some Seventies wags were fond of describing as “that rubberband sound.” Di Meola’s work with Chick Corea’s Return to Forever, his solo efforts and collaborations with fellow guitar legends John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia have considerably raised the standard of excellence for both acoustic and electric guitar performance.
Frank Gambale
SIGNATURE SONG: “6 .8 Shaker”
Passages
SIGNATURE SONG: “6 .8 Shaker”
Passages
In the Eighties Gambale proved that sweep picking wasn’t just for neoclassical rockers, using the technique to great effect on his progressive jazz fusion solo recordings and performances with jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and keyboardist Chick Corea. A graduate of GIT, Gambale returned there to teach for four years, sharing the secrets of his speed-picking technique with students. His unique approach to sweep picking along with his aggressive tone has helped him gain an audience beyond jazz fusion fans. Gambale remains an innovator, having recently developed an alternate tuning he calls “Gambale tuning,” which he says gives him greater liberty to voice any chord, including closevoiced chords.
